Principles of Organic Evolution (BIOLOGY 405)

Semesters taught: Spring

The goal of this class, a requirement for a major in biology or zoology, is to teach students about the mechanisms of evolution.  Evolutionary processes are critical for understanding a wide diversity of phenomena, many of which have direct consequences on human health (e.g. antibiotic resistance, domestication, and the origins of disease).  Students learn about the modes of evolution, with an emphasis on how the process works. This approach is essential for students to make predictions on the magnitude and direction of evolutionary change. After the foundations are laid down, students use these principles to understand human history (e.g. recent colonization of the globe), the origins of biodiversity, and how evolution continues to shape the world around us. Laboratory exercises are absolutely essential to ensure that students understand the processes involved and simultaneously gain competency in scientific reasoning.

Introduction to Population Genetics (BIOLOGY 519)

Semesters taught: Fall

Population genetics provides the conceptual foundation for understanding patterns of genetic variation in nature. Since nearly all biologists study variation in space and time, this discipline plays a major role in guiding biological research in the 21^st century. In this course, we will scrutinize the processes whereby biological populations change over time. This will involve studying inheritance, recombination, and the processes of mutation, migration, genetic drift, and natural selection. A second and equally important goal of the course is to further each student’s progress toward developing their independent research projects at WSU. A final aim of this course is for students to gain basic proficiency with simple models and the interpretation of population-genetic data in R.